Friday, February 22

Today we visited Stanford Tech Licensing Office for a discussion at one of the most successful technology transfer universities in the world.

It was interesting to see how Stanford, a model university for licensing manages its assets and handles IP. We were able to ask some touch questions and gain invaluable insights into how UK universities compare to Stanford.

We were told about the Stanford way, and that often the inventor isn’t the best person to take on the technology, if you look at the technology from a viewpoint of what’s best for it. This approach from Stanford is something I hadn’t heard mentioned previous to this, and a thought provoking statement. I will continue to see how other universities approach their IP and see if anyone approaches the experience and insight that Stanford has achieved. I will also try and work with Teesside to improve their Licensing model.

It was a very interesting session, and we could have been left debating the pros and cons of Stanford’s approach all day long!